Oakland Mayor Schaaf stands tall, firm on warehouse plan

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf during a press conference where officials addressed the status of the Ghost Ship fire that claimed 36 lives in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Mayor Libby Schaaf could’ve simply walked away from her long-standing position of supporting local artists after the early-morning blaze that ravaged Oakland’s warehouse arts scene.

Instead, Schaaf is standing firm against the chilly winds of criticism from council members and business leaders who have blamed her for the city’s poor inspection record, and from artists who have worried that she would turn her back on them and green-light warehouse evictions.

After the Dec. 2 fire that killed 36 people at a warehouse called Ghost Ship in the Fruitvale district, Schaaf could have directed a shutdown of similar live-work structures, as other cities, including San Francisco, have done. But Schaaf is proposing a building inspection process that lets occupants stay in the building if they’re safe to be there. She’s also endorsing a plan by her frequent critic, Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, to make it easier for displaced tenants to move. Her response to the situation that’s forever in our memory is deliberate.

What else did you expect?

This has been the modus operandi of her 2-year-old administration. This is who Schaaf is, and Oakland is better because of her resolve.

In 2005, working as special assistant to then-Mayor Jerry Brown, she helped start the monthly Art Murmur gallery walk by setting up meetings between the mayor and organizers. She held her inauguration at American Steel warehouse, giving a supportive nod to a venue that hosts some of Oakland’s most imaginative performances and gatherings. And days before the tragic fire, Schaaf had scheduled a news conference to announce a $1.7 million grant to create affordable spaces for the city’s arts organizations.

In exactly one week, when the president-elect takes office, we’ll embark on what could be four years of tumult fueled by antipathy for human rights, belligerent disregard for common decency and arguments over elemental facts.

But in Oakland, there is no doubt where our commander in chief stands: She doesn’t want warehouse tenants displaced.

On Wednesday, Schaaf backed up her stance by issuing an executive order and endorsing a plan proposed by Kaplan, who is often critical of Schaaf. As my colleague Rachel Swan reported, the emergency measure, which would amend the Code Enforcement Relocation Program Ordinance, will almost double the relocation fee property owners must pay tenants who are evicted because the owners must repair code violations.

Schaaf wants to strike a balance between increased building safety and protecting tenants from eviction. The executive order establishes an inspection protocol, requiring building inspectors, as Schaaf told me, “to work in a spirit of cooperation” to avoid displacement, except when there is an immediate threat to safety. It calls for property owners of existing buildings not permitted for residential occupancy and in violation of building, housing, fire or zoning requirements to “enter into an abatement and compliance plan with the city within 60 days.”

The executive order also outlines priorities, such as improving the special-event permitting system, boosting fire-safety prevention, and educating the public about tenants rights.

“It probably will not feel satisfactory to the extreme sides of this debate, but it sets out what I believe are our values, and I’m using my authority as the strong mayor to direct staff in a way that is legal and moral,” Schaaf said during our chat Thursday morning.

“This shows a clear path for how we move forward enhancing safety, which is our first job, while minimizing displacement and protecting the cultural richness of our city.”

Schaaf has asked the City Council to call a special meeting to approve Kaplan’s amendments.

The reason many artists live in the warehouses where they work is part of a larger problem Oakland must contend with: There’s not enough affordable housing in the city. And if you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck or, in the case of many artists, commission-to-commission and gig-to-gig, it’s nearly impossible to fork over a deposit and first month’s rent with only a few days’ notice.

For decades, artists converted industrial buildings into workshops and residences in Oakland without many complaints. Still, what happened at the Ghost Ship was avoidable, and the courts will sort out who will shoulder the blame: the city, the building owner, the leaseholder, the party promoter, or some combination of them.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, I wrote that I knew why the people were in the warehouse that night. I’d like to add that party promoters and revelers — myself included — should now become part of the solution by refraining from gathering illegally in warehouses until a resolution is reached, and until the spaces are in compliance.

We can’t compromise our safety and the safety of others.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to an immediate life-safety threat,” Schaaf said. “Some proposals that are out there are asking us to do that. We cannot do that.”

Otis R. Taylor Jr. is the East Bay columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, focusing on the people who make the region a fascinating place to live and work. A South Carolina transplant, Otis spent more than a decade at The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper, writing about arts, culture and entertainment. Previously, Otis was the managing editor of a tech startup. Otis is interested in reporting on issues relating to diversity and equality in the East Bay, as well as the region’s history, culture and politics. He studied English at Clemson University.